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Swedes to hold Great Advertiser Day

On 18th April 2013, the Swedish Advertiser Association will hold its annual Great Advertiser Day, to share inspirational ideas amongst marketing communications professionals.

The controversial theme for 2013 is: Företagskultur - ärlig kommunikation eller corporate bullshit? (Corporate Culture – honest communications or corporate bullshit?). The day will look at how, traditionally, advertising and marketing has been in the hands of the marketing managers, creative directors of advertising agencies, strategists at media agencies, and high-priced consultants from PR-agencies. It will also focus on how Sweden's leading executives, politicians and business leaders look at marketing and advertising, and in particular what value they believe that internal communications brings for a company's commercial success.

A few issues that will be addressed during the day include:

How much impact do management and employees have on company culture? Is corporate culture defined by the top of the hierarchy?

Does the corporate culture impact external communications?

How linked are corporate culture and corporate identity?

Do family companies have stronger corporate cultures?

Following the success of Spotify, Skype, etc., many investors in Sweden are on the hunt for new start-ups. They are looking for assertive and creative entrepreneurs who are ready to take the world by storm. In contrast, managers of fast-growing companies must fight hard to preserve the original spirit and business culture of an established organisation, as new employees and financiers enter the picture. How much is corporate culture influenced by a company's journey "from small to big"?

How much do CSR initiatives "change and improve" corporate culture? Are these just publicity stunts in the hopes of earning consumer goodwill, or do they require a genuine and long-term internal commitment?

"Outside-in" or "inside-out"? Can you create internal corporate culture based on external communications, or must external communication be based on an already existing internal culture?